Alumni

Overview

Welcome to the alumni section of the new St. Thomas Aquinas High School website. You will find information about alumni involvement, giving, events, and ways to stay connected.

Visit the new Alumni Portal - our new online community for STA alums! Update your profile, search the online directory, submit class notes and more! Use the links found in the blue navigation bar to the left (If you are not already logged in, please click My STA to log in).

Cameron Lee Abatiell, 21, of Newburyport, died unexpectedly at the campus of UNC at Charlotte, finishing his senior year of studies. 2/13/2015Cam was actively involved on campus and supporting the university. He was a brother of the Sigma Tau Gamma, singer with the Acapella Club, Orientation Counselor, Student Ambassador, and on the Multi Cultural Club. Cam was also a prolific dancer in Jazz, Lyrical and Tap, his every movement portraying the passion within him.

Born in Seoul, Korea on June 4, 1993, Cameron came home to Wakefield, Mass. in September of that year to Marc C. and Jenny (Bolender) Abatiell. Cam grew up in the Newburyport area and was a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, NH. He was actively involved in several annual school productions and choir. He took his dance movement to a love of the Marshall Arts and received his Black Belt in Karate from Tokyo Joe’s in Salisbury in June 2011. His outgoing personality and charismatic charm, his caring ways, and concern for others, were qualities that endeared him to so many people.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Jess and his sister, Taylor both of Newburyport; his God parents, Larry Abatiell of Wells, Maine and Sue Lowell of Tracy, Calif.; grandparents, Gloria Abatiell of Rutland, Vt., and Jeanette and George Walker of Barre, Vt., along with several aunts, uncles and cousins who were blessed to have him in their lives and his memory and spirit to grow from.

The gift of his life and the memories shared, are treasures that will last forever and live on in the hearts of all who knew him.

A celebration of life service will be held Monday, February 16, 2015 at 11 a.m. at Central Congregational Church, 14 Titcomb Street, Newburyport. Springtime interment will be private for the family. We keep Cam’s spirit alive, and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cameron Lee Abatiell Memorial Foundation c/o Institution for Savings, 93 State Street, Newburyport, MA 01950. His foundation will support annual scholarship funds and organizations supporting children at risk. Arrangements are by Elliott, Woodworth & Rogers Family Funeral Home, 35 Green Street, Newburyport.

Have you updated your Online Profile?2/12/2015by David Harris

STA's new website allows users to log-in to update personal profile and set preferences for email communications and other features. If you have not logged on to update your profile, follow the instructions below:

To get started, click on the link "Logging in for the first time?" in the left-hand blue box on the main page. Upon completion of a simple form (requesting both your login and password), you will receive a pair of emails which will lead you through the steps of verifying your account, and you can begin to explore all that St. Thomas Aquinas' site has to offer.

And as you explore, be sure to double-check and update your personal information in the My Profile section.

For further assistance and training about features on the website: https://www.stalux.org/podium/default.aspx?t=142211&rc=1

Stephen "Steve" Freeman, age 57, died on Friday, November 14th after suffering traumatic injuries from a bicycle accident in Georgetown, Colorado.11/20/2014by Brian Harrison

Stephen "Steve" Freeman, age 57, died on Friday, November 14th after suffering traumatic injuries from a bicycle accident in Georgetown, Colorado. His dry wit, charisma, charm, creativity and generosity will be missed.

Steve was a lifelong resident of New England and had recently moved to Colorado. Raised in Rochester, N.H., he attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School. A cherished memory was being part of the St. Thomas football team that following two winless seasons, upset a heavily favored Bishop Guertin team 8-7 in the state championship. Many opponents from that game went on to become close friends. Steve continued playing football with a full scholarship to The College of the Holy Cross where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He developed a deep bond with high school classmates recently stating, "After all these years, I still bleed STA blue." He was named Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2005 and inducted into the inaugural class of the "Hall of Honor" in 2010 for athletic and academic achievements and service to both the community and school. In his youth, where he went, chaos typically followed. With buddies Soapee, Raymo, Butch, Fabes, Gilly, Poulis, Hurls and too many others to list, you may not have known they were coming, but you remembered they were there.

Steve began a career in the insurance and financial services industry with Prudential in 1980 under the tutelage of the great, Ron Lachapelle. As a sales manager, Steve helped numerous trainees cut their teeth in the insurance industry. He was responsible for supervising as many as 50 representatives at one time and spent many evenings at kitchen tables throughout the Seacoast. He continued his financial services career raising a family in Hampstead, N.H. and working with Waddell and Reed, National Life of Vermont, and Mass Mutual. He was the owner of Appletree Insurance and recently served as the President of Transitions Financial, a firm dedicated to coaching and recruiting financial advisers.

Steve lived an open door life striving to help others. It started with his upbringing living in a small house where his parents did not own a key to lock the door. Each day involved friends lounging on the couch and often staying for dinner. Whether he was coaching kids in a youth basketball, baseball or soccer league, training a new sales rep, or donating his time to a charity, he derived great happiness from the success and smiles of others. He was a two time recipient of the Louis Dublin Award for Community Service from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He believed that to those whom much was given, much was expected. He worked closely The Make-A-Wish Foundation , Special Olympics, and the March of Dimes.

Steve is the son of the late Lawrence and Ann Freeman. He is survived by two children, Matthew and Lauren Freeman of the Greater Boston area, and Deborah Freeman of Manchester, N.H. Family includes sisters Cheryl Porelle of Howell, N.J., and Lisa Freeman of Georgetown, Colo., brothers John and Jim Freeman and Jim's wife Cheryl of Georgetown, Mass., nephews Andrew and Adam Freeman, nieces Jordan Porelle, Julianne and Linda Freeman, and numerous aunts and uncles including George Freeman, the running legend of Cobleskill, N.Y. Family, friends and others are invited to the R.M. Edgerly & Son Funeral Home, 86 South Main St. in Rochester, N.H. on Sunday, November 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to reminisce, grieve, support, and of course share war stories of a full life cut short. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, November 24th, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, 71 Lowell St., Rochester, N.H. Rather than flowers, Steve would have preferred you do an unexpected, unsolicited act of kindness.

David T. Philbrick, 53, of Newington, died peacefully Tuesday, June 17, 2014, at his home with loving family by his side.6/19/2014by Brian Harrison

NEWINGTON - David T. Philbrick, 53, of Newington, died peacefully Tuesday, June 17, 2014, at his home with loving family by his side.

He was born in Portsmouth, November 29, 1960, a son of Mary (Ahern) Philbrick of Rye and the late George O. Philbrick

Raised on Cable Road in Rye, he graduated from Saint Thomas Aquinas in Dover with the Class of 1979. Following graduation he married the love of his life and high school sweetheart Susan (Schummrick) Philbrick of Newington (STA Class of 1980) who he shared 23 years of marriage with.

David started working at the family business, Philbrick's Sales & Service of North Hampton at an early age and took over ownership in 1993 when his late father George retired. He successfully ran the family business until his retirement in 2009.

He was a past member of the Rye Lions Club. In his earlier years, David was an avid hunter and archer and earned a position on the New Hampshire State Archery Team. David also loved traveling extensively throughout the world with his wife Susan. He was a kind and generous man who anonymously gave to many charities throughout the Seacoast Area.

In addition to his wife Susan and mother Mary, family members include his brothers, George "Rick" Philbrick and his wife Susan of Stratham, Dan Philbrick, his twin of Dover; sisters, Susan Philbrick Tiffany and her husband Mark of Amesbury, Mass., Kathleen Philbrick of Deerfield; many dear aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and his beloved dogs Harry and Scotto.

In addition to his father George he was predeceased by his sister Jackie Ann Philbrick.

Jeremiah "Jerry" W. Carberry, '67, died Thursday, March 27, 2014 at the Hyder Family Hospice House

Jerry was a 1963 graduate of St. Mary Academy, a 1967 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and a 1971 graduate of Burdette College. He was also a graduate of the Astonia School of Banking. Jerry was active in the community, having served on the board of Wentworth Home Health and Hospice Care, and the Strafford County Board of Realtors Affiliates. He was a member and former President of the Dover Lions Club, and formerly served as Chairperson of Saint Mary Academy School Board and was a former School Board Member at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. He was a former City of Dover Trustee of Trust Funds, former President of Eastern NH American Institute of Banking and former State Chairman NH Institute of Banking. He was a mortgage banker for Envoy Mortgage Limited Partnership of Dover.

Jerry was of Irish Heritage, a devout Roman Catholic and a communicant of St. Joseph Church. He is survived by his wife Stephanie (Ellis) Carberry, his three children Joshua K. Carberry ‘13, Zachary P. Carberry ’17 and Erin J. Carberry ’18 . He also leaves his siblings Natalie J. Healy ’64 , John E. Carberry, Jr., Rebecca Carberry, Michael A. Carberry, Patrick J. Carberry and wife Margaret, Timothy G. Carberry and wife Christine, Kelli J. Murray and husband James, as well as cousins Paul F. Leary and Martha Leary, many nieces and nephews, and his faithful dog Tek.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Parish of the Assumption, St. Joseph Church, 150 Central Ave. Burial will follow in St. Mary New Cemetery. Family flowers only and memorial in his name may be made to St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Living Legacy Scholarship Fund, 197 Dover Point Rd., Dover, NH 03820 or on-line at http://www.stalux.org/Scholarship-LivingLegacy

The Living Legacy Scholarship fund was started as a Class Gift in 2012 to offset the rising cost of education. The Class of 2012 chose like to leave a legacy at STA by starting the “Living Legacy Fund” that all classes and alumni can contribute to in order to help an incoming freshman each year. The fund has also been a way to memorialize Alumni, Faculty and Friends of St. Thomas. Jerry’s name will added to the plaque displayed in the school.

He will be greatly missed by his wife of 38 years, Marilynn S. (Sakowski) Tanguay; a son Jonathan M. Tanguay of Bryan, TX; a daughter Elizabeth Melehov, her husband Gregory and grandson James of Westminster, MA. He is survived by parents Lionel and Viola (Demers) Tanguay of Somersworth, NH; a brother, Bill Tanguay and wife Susan of Durham, NH; a sister Gail Cook and husband Peter of Dewitt, MI, and many nephews and nieces.

He was born in Rochester, NH and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 1969. Dr. Tanguay graduated Magna Cum Laude from Providence College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He received his medical degree from Boston University in 1977. While at BU, Dr. Tanguay was a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta.

After completing his Internal Medicine residency at Memorial Hospital in Worcester, he began his Primary Care practice as a staff physician at Worcester Memorial, joining the staff at Chadwick Medical Associates in 1993.

Dr. Tanguay, Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and served as an outpatient preceptor for the Internal Medicine Residency program. He also served on the Board of Trustees at Central Mass Health Care, and as Medical Director of SunBridge Worcester and Clark Manor HealthCare.Gary enjoyed golfing and was an active member at the Worcester Country Club and York Country Club in York, Maine. He also enjoyed gardening and skiing. His family meant the world to him and he lived his life for them. He treasured every moment spent with them and always captured those memories in pictures. He loved being a new grandfather; he adored his baby grandson and couldn't wait to meet his next one. Throughout their childhood, Gary was very active in his children's lives, coaching many of their sports teams; he never missed their events. His greatest joy was when his family was together.

The funeral will be held on Thursday, April 25 from FAY BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 1 West Boylston Street, West Boylston with a Mass at 10:00 am in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 111 Worcester Street, West Boylston. Burial will follow in Mt. Vernon Cemetery, West Boylston.Visiting hours are Wednesday, April 24 from 5-7 pm in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael Sakowski Scholarship Fund at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 197 Dover Point Road, Dover, NH 03820 or at www.stalux.org/giving.

Gregoire '65 addresses Class of 20145/29/2014It was a great pleasure to have Jim and Jane Gregoire, Class of '65 assist with the Senior BBQ yesterday. Despite the rain and the cold, everyone was well fed and had a good time. Jim delivered some wonderful words to the Class of 2014 before inviting them to join us at the BBQ:

So proud of our Young Alumni. Dont miss them at Reunion Day on August 23rd!

In addition to Mike Dunbar, '11 on vocals, guitar and keyboard, the band includes bassist Nico Zottos, '13 of Epping, drummer Brian Finnell, '13 of Hampton and Collin Garcia, '11 of Strafford, on guitar, mandolin, violin and saxophone. All four band members graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, where they were the school’s house band.